So I put these photos up in the huge Resort room photos thread...but felt like sharing it elsewhere on the board too.
I joined my Mom and my Aunt Patti at the Grand Floridian from Jan. 5-11. After they flew home on Sunday, I stayed one night at the Buena Vista Palace to be close to the Downtown Disney late-night bus. I spent a day and a half exploring the Gulf Coast area between Sarasota and Sanibel Island, flying back to JFK at 6:30 this morning.
Patti & Mom checked in to the GF on January 4; I flew in from New York on Monday night. Because January 3 was Patti's birthday, and it's also her 4th year anniversary surviving thyroid cancer, I faxed a letter with room requests and an in-room birthday card. Someone in Disney Confectionery astounded Patti with this:
And that's not all. Someone at the Grand had another birthday surprise up their sleeve.
At about 3 pm on January 4, I received a text message from Patti: "OMG GF upgraded us to main bldg MK view concierge #4407!!!! Did u do this? Thx!"
All I did was gently ask if 4th floor corner rooms were available in Conch or Sago, and Disney gives Patti an upgrade worth over $2k and a white chocolate Mickey Mouse. That's almost enough in and of itself for this jaded pseudo-intellectual critic (and former intern travel writer) to shut up. Reveling in the joy of two sisters after a rough year, plus this view out the window as I arrived? Bang! I'm 8 years old again.
Somewhere between six years of architecture school, world travel, autoCAD and Amsterdam coffee shops...still resides a warm place for this confection and all that encircles it.
This is room 4407 taken from the balcony. That single flip-sofa wasn't as comfortable as I remember the old GF daybeds to be. But the rolling table earns points.
Buon giorno, principessa.
Not that there weren't problems. at 3 am on January 7, the plumbing between rooms 4407 and 4406 inexplicably sent water gushing out of the toilet. A lot of water. The water flooded the first 10' of our room all the way to the desk, and began moving into the hotel hallway. The toilet wan't clogged at the time, but let it be known that all guestroom toilets at the GF have a locked shutoff valve. Yes,
locked...a key is required.
Patti, who was unfortunately in the bathroom at the time of the flood, marched down to the lobby after 30 minutes of being transferred to Disney call centers. The bewildered front-desk CM sent a bewildered security guard, whose job it is to supervise the non-Disney overnight cleaning contractors. We were immediately moved one floor down, to 4306. As an eager overnight bellman named Otis helped move (and dry out) everything, some talented plumbers showed up and explained that the GF's plumbing has not been given much attention in two decades. As the bathrooms are placed back-to-back with the plumbing stack between them, our new room was spared the trouble. However, as Otis and I discovered through the next hour...room 4
307 apparently flooded the same way. A puddle crept from under its door and drenched the newspaper. Its occupants, who were sleeping during the flood, raised holy-hell the next morning.
Here's the view from the fourth floor hallway. The rest of the pictures aren't pretty.
Now then. Where were we? Room 4306, which was exactly like the previous room except backwards (and with a functioning loo!). The other room is above and one-to-the-left of where I'm standing in this picture.
We were treated to the deluxe dining package and enjoyed dinners at Citricos, Le Cellier, Jiko, California Grill, Mama Melrose's, Room Service, and our favorite, Coral Reef...
And I'm sure this has been posted elsewhere on the DIS, here's the mixology of that martini. It comes with a souvenir plastic glow cube and costs $10 across the park. We ended up ordering them at four different restaurants and have a little collection of the glow cubes...they have five different color settings (blue, purple, green, red, multi) plus one with psychedelic twinkle lights.
And one of my favorite Disney mornings involved free admission to the Magic Kingdom at sunrise to watch the Half Marathonners run through the park. This shot is for anyone who's feeling the folds of time pull on their soul...
Between the actual, real-time jubilation of thousands of runners (including the man dressed as Snow White and the woman in full Merlin regalia) and the juxtaposition of thumping techno music on Main Street, USA, it was one big surprise of a good time.
On January 11, Patti and Mom flew back to Pennsylvania. They had a wonderful time - Disney and all the great CMs at the Grand and at Animal Kingdom (and at Cirque du Soleil) made it even sweeter. They even ran into Bruce Springsteen twice at the GF. I still laugh at his story from the early 80s about not being allowed into the Magic Kingdom because of his tattoos and scruffy beard. Speaking of tattoos, is there a dress code for 1900 Park Fare? at 9 pm in Commander Porter's (the men's store), there was a man buying pants who was told he couldn't accompany his children to the character dinner unless he covered up his leg tattoos.
Since our park tickets didn't expire until midnight, I stayed in Disney. After storing my luggage while motorboating around the lagoon and Bay Lake, I checked into the Buena Vista Palace. I returned to the Grand for dessert, cordials and the orchestra - and then to the MK for extra magic with new friends from Maryland. I ended up taking the boat to the Wilderness Lodge and closing the Territory bar, watching football (soccer) and drinking with an Irish grandfather and his son who recommended places to go on the Gulf coast. After a late photoshoot around the deserted WL, I caught the 1:45 am bus to Downtown Disney and walked across the street to the BVP.
Even though it's not Disney-owned, here's room 2130 on the twenty-first floor at Buena Vista Palace.
I cut off the 32" LG flat panel television.
One sink, but one hundred fifty dollars a night with tax is the special winter rate.
Lake? Hotels. More hotels. Orlando in distance. The vista from the Buena Vista.
She could always use the props. She works so hard and makes such magic for the guests.
, and I can't wait to WOW him with RPC. I keep telling him, "You don't understand how great the RPC is." Thanks to this thread, I KNOW I've made the right resort choice for my birthday trip! You guys are soooo keeping me motivated to work hard (I work at home) 
to pay for the trip! I go to this thread every morning first thing before I start my work. Thanks.
We were at the GF in April 2008 and unfortunately we could only get the Sugar Loaf Building 
. It was good but it wasn't RPC and we had a dormer room. Me personally, I would not get a dormer room again as the balcony was very small. The room was lovely but we like a descent size balcony. Also when I make our ressie, I ask them to note it with a specific room number or close to that one. I know it's not a guarantee but we have always been granted the room # that we request upon checking in with CL. Also, back in 2006 my parents and my nephew came with us and it was their first time. I asked the concierge (Meejay) Love her, if she could possibly have a signed picture from Mickey with balloons in Alexander's room. She did that plus gave the same to my DS who has been there multiple times. The surprises were waiting for the boys that night after we checked in and she did not charge us for it. Just simply fabulous. Have a wonderful trip.
They are great.
Not only am I finally going to be able to stay at the Grand Floridian (which is a dream in its self) but we are staying concierge main building.
I know I would be. I am excited for you. 
That translates to 3.19999 F. We were -23 F in our town this am....or -30 Cel.
She's not a Springsteen fan (she might have been back in the 70s?), but I tried not to lose my sh*t for a second and remembered my Dad's Drew Carey moment ten years ago. A couple days later both Patti and Mom said they saw him with a redheaded woman and a lot of kids...probably their kids and their kids' friends. It seemed like they were traveling in a big group...if I were Bruce Springsteen, would I invite my kids' friends' families on vacation with me? 
